Mission For Love
by kat69d
Summary: Tessa only wanted a different life than she had...a decision to hit a club changed that life but one large hurdle named Voldemort stood in her way of happiness...will she be able to overcome or be destroyed?
1. A Lady and Her Knight

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own character...Enjoy...It does get a bit descriptive near the end but that's the worse of it (or best of it depending on what you like)...**

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_How did life get to be as shitty as this?_ Tessa looked around her empty flat and decided that she was tired of being alone and not really doing anything. Energized with a new focus, she hopped into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Most guys preferred it when she left her hair slightly wavy and the way her blue eyes popped when outlined in kohl. Now it was just about clothes.

Tessa stood in front of the wardrobe for nearly 10 minutes before she said bloody hell and reached for the slinky emerald green dress. She still could not remember why she bought the thing especially when she didn't normally wear clothes that tight or revealing. Part of her was shocked that a woman couldn't wear a bra underneath the dress while the other part of her was thrilled at the idea of being someone else. She chose a black thong and slid it on under the dress.

_I am not going to be Tessa, the girl next door that no guy wants to date, but be Tessa, the young carefree woman who will live spontaneously once in her lifetime,_ she thought, slipping on a pair of black heels and grabbing her little black purse for her keys, ID, some money, and lipstick.

She walked out of her building and quickly hailed a taxi. She didn't care where she went as long as there was liquor and dancing. Luckily the driver (who had the cutest dimple on his cheek) knew of a place. After making small talk on the way to the club, Tessa couldn't believe how free the flirty words were coming. This was a whole new side of her and it surprised her. As the taxi pulled up outside, in front of the semi-long line, she pulled out a twenty pound note and wrote her mobile number on it.

"Lose it and you'll regret it," Tessa said, handing over the cash.

She got out and walked with determination to the bouncer. He looked her over and she gave him the best 'come hither' eyes she could master. He removed the red rope and waved the woman through. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before walking inside.

The music coursed through her body. This was so much better than staying in and fiddling on her computer again for the hundredth night in a row. Tessa gazed at the crowd and spotted a few guys she felt drawn to but first a drink. She headed over to the bar and caught the bartender's attention.

"Shot of tequila and a vodka with coke."

"Make that two," a husky voice spoke from beside her.

Tessa glanced at him and then turned her entire focus on him. The dark jeans hugged his legs and, she assumed his arse because she couldn't see it from there. The white shirt underneath the dark blue button up spoke an air of casualness but some sexiness.

"Think you can keep up?" she breathed.

"Only if you want me to try. I'm Seamus."

His Irish accent was making her weak in the knees. Even though Tessa has heard Irish and Scottish accents all her life, any accent made her hot. His hair was cut close but it allowed you to see his eyes. He didn't have the eyes of an ordinary twenty-something. They seemed carefree but there was something hidden underneath.

"Tessa. What brings you here?" she asked as the bartender set their drinks on the bar in front of them.

"I was coming to the bar to get a drink and when I saw you, I wanted to join you. Attractive women tend to catch my attention."

She brushed her honey colored hair out of her face and grabbed for the salt shaker. Seamus watched as Tessa licked the spot between her forefinger and thumb. She sprinkled some salt and offered it to him. He just stared at her. She shook her head and grabbed his hand. Her tongue ran across the same spot on his hand and she coated it with salt. She grabbed the lemon wedge and the shot glass.

"Bottoms up, Seamus."

Tessa licked the salt, downed the shot, and bit into the lemon. Some juice dribbled from the corner of her mouth so her tongue darted out to catch it. The guy still hadn't moved so she grabbed his lemon and shot. She held them up to him but got no response. Tessa shrugged her shoulders before cleaning his hand of salt. When the second shot was finished burning down her throat she noticed a few other guys had joined them.

"Hello. Are you friends of Seamus' because if you are, maybe you can snap him out of the fog that he's in."

"That was bloody hot!" the one with ginger hair exclaimed.

"Ron, what would Hermione say if she heard you?" a tall guy wearing a dark leather jacket said.

"I don't care. She just licked something from Seamus' hand before drinking."

"Have you never had tequila before? That's typically how it is drunk. Salt, tequila then lemon. Would you like to try?"

Ron held out his hand to Tessa and she chuckled as she got him ready to do a tequila shot. The other 3 guys watched as he fumbled.

"Lick the salt, ok then drink the liquor in one mouthful, and then bite into the lemon."

He did as Tessa described but sputtered as the liquor hit his tongue.

"That's almost as bad as firewhiskey."

She hadn't heard of that type of liquor but the looks that the other guys were giving him, she knew not to ask what it was. Seamus was finally coming around and tried to drink the entire glass of vodka and coke. He began to cough and the tall dark guy slapped him on the back.

"Don't mind, Ron. He's a bit eccentric. I'm Dean. This is Harry and Neville."

"Tessa. I asked Seamus but he was a bit confused. What brings a group of delicious guys to a club like this?" she asked, sipping on my drink.

"Delicious?"

"It's a bit forward of me to say but yes, all of you are totally edible."

All of them were shocked except Harry, the guy with black hair and glasses. He smirked and looked at all of his friends, especially the other tall brunette.

"You can take your pick, Tessa, out of the others. We're actually here celebrating my stag party. There should be another handful of guys showing up. Most are Ron's older brothers. Word of caution though. Watch out for Fred and George."

Tessa checked them all out but it was the brunette, Neville, who seemed to speak to her. She gazed into his blue-green eyes and held his stare.

"You will protect me, right, Neville? If this Fred and George are as bad as Harry leads me to believe, I will need a strong man to be my knight."

He was silent and unmoving. Tessa could see the thinking process in his eyes and knew he was thinking what being her knight would mean. She stepped closer to him and grabbed his hand. The others stared as the woman in the tight green dress pressed her body into his.

"You wouldn't want anything to happen to me, would you? If you were my knight, I could reward you with anything you may desire."

"My lady," he replied, as he bent his head to kiss her hand.

For the night, Tessa kept busy with talking to Neville, talking to him about life, joking about her name, but also adding in some innuendo into the conversation. Anyone could see that he had picked up on it when he kept shifting in his seat. When the aforementioned Fred and George showed up, Neville stood in front of her and nearly growled at them to leave her be. The two redheads, even though they were taller than him, felt something and after a quick hello left them alone. His friends knew what he was capable of.

She didn't know how much she drank but wasn't feeling too intoxicated. Tessa was feeling a bit sleepy but the gorgeous plants that Neville was talking about were keeping her awake and focused on his voice.

"Mate, I think you should take Tessa home," Harry said, coming up to the table they were sitting at.

She had curled up against Neville using his shoulder as a pillow. She looked up at him while he looked down and if they weren't seated at a club, she would have straddled his lap and rewarded him properly.

"Let's go, Tessa. We'll take a car to your place and I'll make sure you're home safely."

"You don't have to," she offered.

"But I am your knight. I can't let my lady get hurt or lost. Congratulations, Harry, and I'll see you tomorrow for the wedding."

"Congratulations from me too, Harry. That Ginny is one special girl to be marrying someone like you."

Neville wrapped an arm around her and they walked out of the club. She waved down a taxi and they climbed into the back. After giving the driver her address, Tessa sat back and watched Neville. Her knight took her hand and held it until the taxi pulled up to Tessa's building. Neville had money handed to the driver even before she had her purse open.

"Thank you for the wonderful night, Neville. I would like to see you again if you would be fine with it."

"I wouldn't be a knight if I didn't escort the fair lady to her door."

She wanted Neville but didn't know what he thought of staying over but his statement spoke clearly of what he wanted. When they reached the door, she wasn't about to let him leave. Tessa grabbed at the jacket and pulled him to her. She kissed him lightly and sensuously. It was Neville who ran his tongue against her lips and deepened the kiss. She fumbled with the lock behind her and pulled him into the flat. Still joined at the lips, she walked them down the hall to her room.

"Would the knight like his reward now?" Tessa asked biting the side of her lip.

"My Lady."

She kicked off the heels and backed Neville up against the bed. The jacket came off and small hands started undoing the buttons on his shirt. Once opened she didn't remove it but ran her hands down his chest and his stomach. Tessa stepped closer and stood in between his legs. She leaned down and kissed him before leaving kisses along his neck, earlobe, and the crook between his neck and shoulder.

As she slid the shirt off his shoulders, Tessa laid little kisses on his chest, arms, wrists, and hands. She trailed her tongue down the little path from his belly button to the top of his pants after pushing him down onto the bed. She popped the buttons on his pants and tugged at the zipper. Tessa knelt on the floor to take off his shoes, socks, and finally the pants.

She could see the bulge in his boxers and she wanted to see, feel, taste what was underneath. Tessa stood and moved to straddle his waist. She reached around and undid the zipper on the green dress. Rather than pulling it down, she shimmied it up her body and pulled it off. Neville's hands came up and cupped her breasts as her arms stretched high. His hands fit perfectly and his fingers knew exactly what to do with her nipples.

"Oh, Neville," she moaned.

Tessa rubbed against him as he played with her breasts. She shifted down a bit until she was right over his boxers. He sat up and his mouth replaced his hands. She moaned and rubbed against him but knew not to do much or else he would climax before they had a chance to do anything else.

"Tessa, please," he moaned.

She looked at him and smiled before leaning in and kissing him deeply.

"Do what you want with your reward."

With that, he had them in opposite positions on the bed in a flash. His boxers were soon discarded and her thong went with them. His hand traveled from her breast, down her stomach, to her hips. He guided one leg up and around his waist before his hand disappeared between her legs. His fingers were like ghosts against the skin, causing Tessa to shiver and moan. Neville brought one of his fingers to his lips and licked off the wetness.

"Sweet nectar."

She pressed herself deeper into his erection telling him exactly what she wanted. He didn't wait long before he thrusted into her. It had Tessa arching her back and moaning as he filled her. She wanted more of him so she wrapped both legs around his waist to allow him to go deeper. She tightened her muscles around him and heard his groan of approval.

"More, Neville. Harder."

He complied with Tessa's request and pumped harder and faster into her. Her hands went to his back and she lightly ran her fingernails down his back as he brought her closer to the peak of pleasure. He hissed at the scratches but it only sped him up. Soon the bed was bumping into the wall and Tessa was glad that her flat is surrounded by outer walls.

"Oh, Tessa."

"Sweet Jesus Christ, Neville. Cum for me," she moaned.

Neville thrusted faster and reached down to pleasure her. She squeezed around him as she felt him tighten. Tessa wanted him to have one of the best climaxes as he could ever experience. He groaned as he came and brought her to the edge, her moan mixing with his.

He kissed Tessa deeply before rolling onto his back. She felt exhilarated and awake but could see the sleepiness in Neville's eyes. She pulled the blanket around them and told him to sleep. Maybe they would have another go before he had to leave for the wedding.


	2. Taking a Stand

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own characters...Enjoy...like my other stories, there's a link to Tessa's dress on my profile page...  


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Rather than another go before he left, he asked Tessa to join him. His reasoning was that from all the talking that they did and then what they did after meant the two were more than friends. Neville said that Harry would be fine with it. One more person wouldn't be that big of a deal. Hesitantly she agreed.

"I'll come by and pick you up. The wedding starts at 1pm so please be ready by noon. It won't take long to get there."

Neville kissed her goodbye and left the flat. Tessa was still sitting in bed with the sheets wrapped around her waist. Here she was naked and rather than sex, he invited her to a wedding. A wedding! She had to get ready and it was nearly 9am. She jumped out of bed, pulled on some clothes, and tore out of the flat.

She hurried to her stylist and had the other woman start on her hair. Tessa went all out, having a manicure and pedicure done, her hair straightened and styled, and her makeup done. Tessa thought through each piece of clothing she owned and nothing was appropriate for the new her to attend a wedding in. She had to find a dress.

A quick taxi ride to Covent Gardens and she ran into one of the stores for a dress. Barely five steps into the store and she found it. It was a deep red color. The front had a high collar wrapping around the neck but cut very low in the back. It was a perfect mix between nice and risqué. She grabbed her size and ran to the dressing room.

"I need to try this on now please," Tessa said.

The saleslady ushered her into a changing room and she stepped into the dress. It fit wonderfully and knew that Neville would like it too. She quickly changed back into her clothes, paid for the dress (not really caring that it was ₤200), and hailed another taxi to take her home.

She was zipping up the dress when Neville showed up. Tessa let him in and his eyes followed the lines of the dress. When she turned around, he saw the back and his mouth dropped.

"I just need to get my shoes and purse. I'll only be another second."

Neville's date applied a bit of lipstick, slipped on the heels, and grabbed her purse. Neville was standing in the exact same spot as when she left him. Tessa closed his mouth with a finger and pecked him on the lips.

"We don't want to leave your friends waiting."

Out at the curb was a black car with a driver. She looked to Neville but he tilted his head and held the door open for her.

"My Lady."

She slid into the car and he sat next to her. It was obvious that the driver knew where to go because he started driving out of the city.

"It will take about half an hour to get there. Even with such little warning, you look beautiful, Tessa. I could not imagine what you would have done if you had more notice."

"Just be lucky that I ended up at the club last night or else you would still be going alone."

"I do appreciate you coming but I will warn you. My grandmother will be there since she's an old friend of Ginny's family. She does not warm up to new people well."

The driver seemed to snicker at that comment and Neville smiled.

"So tell me more about your friends. We only focused on ourselves last night."

"I've known most of them since we were eleven when we started at a boarding school together but my family has known many of the other families for a long time. It's quite a close knit community. Harry's marrying Ginny, Ron is practically engaged to Hermione, Seamus is kind of dating Lavender, and Dean is thinking about proposing to Padma. Come to think of it, I was the last of our little group to find someone."

"So you never fancied someone in your group?" she asked.

"When I was younger, I thought Ginny was cute but I was also 14 at the time. I invited her to a dance but that was only between friends. School became a big focus for me so there was not much time to date. Even if I wanted to, I wasn't high on the girls' dating lists. I was clumsy and a bit pudgy until my last year."

"You may have had to grow into your looks but those who had the looks growing up are going to lose them before you. It's always how it works. The ugly duckling turns into a swan and the swan turns into an old wrinkly swan," Tessa laughed.

Neville told her more about the people who were going to be at the wedding. He reminded her to watch out for Fred and George and their friend Lee. He described a few of the pranks that they pulled while in school and she could barely wrap her head around how they did some.

"Mr. Longbottom, we are here," the driver said.

"Thank you, Geoffrey."

Neville got out and offered his date his hand. They had pulled up to this wonderful house. She could feel the warmth and security. The family who lived there must be quite loving. Tessa saw the wedding tents behind the house and went to walk towards them.

"Actually, we need to go inside. I would like to introduce you to everyone before I take you to your seat. I'm one of Harry's groomsmen so I won't be staying with you."

Neville took her hand and escorted her into the house. She could hear the thunder of feet above them meaning that a lot of people were still trying to get ready. He pulled her up the stairs and into the first room on the right. This was the guys' room and neither Harry nor Ron were dressed.

"Neville, please tell me you know how to tie the tie," Ron whined.

"Sorry, mate. Maybe your mum can help."

"She's helping Ginny into her dress. Oh, hi, Tessa."

"Do you need a hand with the tie? I always tied my dad's before he passed. I can tie yours while Harry finds his shoes," she pointed out. "Neville said the wedding starts at 1pm and it's nearly 12:40."

"Sweet Merlin," Ron cried.

Tessa helped Ron and Harry with their ties and when it was nearly time, Neville escorted her to the tents since there wasn't enough time to meet the others before the wedding.

"Gran, this is Tessa. Tessa, this is my grandmother Augusta Longbottom."

"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom."

"Interesting dress, young lady."

"Sorry to leave you but I need to get the others down here. Ginny and the bridesmaids will be down momentarily and she will want to start right on time."

He kissed her cheek and headed back into the house. She sat down besides Mrs. Longbottom and waited for her interrogation. When it didn't start, the young woman focused on the other people around her. Some were dressed quite weirdly but Neville warned his date that she would be seeing and hearing a lot of weird things today.

A few other redheads took their seats in the front row before Harry, Ron, Neville, Fred and George took their places up at the front. Tessa looked to her groomsman and smiled when he winked at her. The wedding march began and everyone turned to focus on the bridesmaids.

The dresses were a lovely periwinkle and each were designed to flatter the woman. Hermione, the maid of honor had her brown hair pulled up with some wispy curls surrounding her face. The next was a petite blond with a far off look on her face. _Luna if Neville's description was right_, Tessa thought. Another blond followed Luna but she was taller and had something about her besides the obvious pregnant belly. This was Bill's wife, Fleur. The last bridesmaid was obvious since Penny was the only one left.

An older man began escorting a beautiful woman in a lovely white dress. The bodice clung but the skirt was a flowing princess skirt. There were rhinestones along the skirt making it sparkle. She carried a bouquet of red roses. Her father was holding back tears as he walked his daughter down the aisle.

"We are here today to celebrate the bonding of Harry James Potter and Ginerva Molly Weasley. This bonding has been a long time in the making, a ten year old girl falling for a boy asking directions.

"Who gives Ginny's hand to Harry?" the man asked.

"My wife and I do," Mr. Weasley said.

He gave Ginny's hand to Harry and stepped back to take his seat next to his wife. The bride faced her groom and smiled.

"Both have written something they would like to share. Harry, you may go."

"Ginny, you were my star. You guided me to places I needed to be. When life felt unbearable, I knew you would be there for me, first as a friend, then a girlfriend, and now a wife. It does not matter what happens to us now as long as we are together. I love you."

"Harry, if it was not for you, I would not be here. You saved my life countless times and for that, I'm grateful. You tend to think of others first before yourself. When you nearly died, I couldn't imagine life without you. Now you are my husband and if you ever scare me like that again, I will put my mum's yelling to shame. I will love you for eternity, Harry."

"May I have the rings?"

Ron and Hermione passed the two rings to the man and Ginny passed her flowers to the woman beside her.

"Repeat after me. I, Harry James Potter, take Ginerva Molly Weasley as my wife and bonded."

"I, Harry James Potter, take Ginerva Molly Weasley as my wife and bonded."

"To love, cherish, and protect until my last breath."

"To love, cherish, and protect until my last breath," Harry said.

"Now you, Ginny."

"I, Ginerva Molly Weasley, take Harry James Potter as my husband and bonded. To love, cherish, and protect until my last breath."

"Harry, slide the symbol of your love for Ginny onto her finger and recite the spell."

"_Meus Pectus Pectoris Est Vestri_!"

There was a glow around the ring as it was placed on her finger. The man asked Ginny to do the same and when both rings were in place, the glow grew brighter. Tessa looked to Neville and saw him smiling at her.

"I have the honor of presenting Harry and Ginny Potter."

Tessa clapped with the rest of the guests and watched as the wedding party filed down the aisle. Everyone began moving to the other tent and this was when Mrs. Longbottom and another older woman moved to interrogate her grandson's date.

"Where did you meet my grandson?"

"I ran into him when he was out with his friends. We spent that entire night getting to know each other."

"Which school did you attend?" the other woman asked, moving the ugly pink hat on her head.

"I finished my schooling at Oxford."

"Ah, that Muggle school."

"Muriel, did you see her dress? It's positively too revealing, something a slag would wear in Knockturn Alley," Mrs. Longbottom offered.

She didn't know what a Muggle was or where Knockturn Alley was located but she did know the woman referred to her as a prostitute. Tessa liked Neville a lot but there was no way she was going to stand for it.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Longbottom, but what I wear is my business. I chose this dress so I knew it had no back but if I wanted to wear nothing but a bra and knickers then I could. My mother had no say and you will not either. Now enjoy your evening. I'm going to find Neville."

Tessa left the two of them at the table and walked through the crowd of guests to find Neville. He was chatting with the others in the wedding party.

"Ah, Tessa. Sorry to have left you," he apologized with a kiss.

"Be ready to receive a lecture from your gran. She compared me to a whore so I told her where she could go. I didn't mean to get you in trouble with your family but that woman should learn to keep her opinion to herself."

"Don't worry about it. I've spent years trying to meet her expectations and it wasn't until recently that she stopped comparing me to my father."

"That's her loss for not knowing you as you and not as your father's son. Hi, I'm Tessa. Congratulations, Ginny and Harry."

"Thank you. Harry mentioned that Neville met a wonderful woman at the party last night. I love that dress."

"It's not something I would normally wear but I quite enjoy it."

"Oi, Tessa! Didn't know you were coming?" Seamus said, pulling along his on and off girlfriend.

"Neither did I until this morning. Are you prepared now to do a tequila shot?"

"I don't know if we have any tequila but I'm sure we can find something to drink."

Tessa walked around with Neville and was introduced to more friends and the rest of the Weasleys. Molly, as she told Tessa to call her, was thrilled that she was dating Neville and even invited them over to their house for family dinner. It seems she hosts dinner for her 7 children, their significant others, any grandkids and friends of the family once a week.

"Thank you for the invitation, Molly, but it might be awhile before we come. Neville and I just started seeing each other and we'll want to take some time for each other."

Everyone was sitting down at dinner enjoying the wonderful food when a loud alarm went off. The entire wedding party jumped from their seats at the front of the room and started calling out orders. Tessa looked to Neville and saw he was helping Molly collect the little children. Soon screams could be heard once people in black gowns and masks entered the tent. They were shouting weird Latin phrases and people had pulled sticks and pointed them at the intruders.

Tessa was pushed down when a colored light flew at her. She ducked behind a table and heard the whimpering. She checked under the table and saw a little blond girl. She crawled under the table and pulled the girl into her arms.

"It's going to be alright. My name is Tessa."

"Victoire Weasley."

"Let's get out from under this table and find somewhere else to hide. Then we'll find your mum and dad."

Tessa peeked out and with the coast being clear, she lifted the little girl and rushed away. Sadly they only made it a few steps before a person in a mask stepped in front of the pair. She slid the girl down and hid her behind her legs.

"There's no need to protect her. I'll be cursing her after I finish up with you," a man growled.

"Only a man with no spine would be going around wearing a mask when he's cursing people."

"Witch, you have no idea who you just insulted."

"I think the word you're looking for is bitch and honestly, I don't bloody care who you are. All I know is that a small pathetic man is standing in front of me in a Halloween costume holding a stick."

Throughout the conversation, Tessa was signaling Victoire to run. She squeezed her hand before she took the distraction to run. The man saw her and turned towards the girl so Tessa did what she knew would make him angry.

"You must be lacking in some area if you have to hurt a little girl. Maybe you can't get it up unless you've proven yourself as a man. Is that what the stick is? An extension of your manhood?"

He turned back and pulled off the mask. His blond hair was half out of the tie at his neck and his steel gray eyes pierced Tessa's own, almost staring down her soul.

"Only a Mudblood would stand up to one of the Dark Lord's followers. And only a Mudblood would question my manhood. Hmm, I think I'll show you exactly why no one questions Lucius Malfoy's manhood."

He was quick and he grabbed her arm before she could run. Tessa scratched up his cheek trying to get free when they heard her name being yelled. She saw Neville and called out to him before the blond pulled her into his body.

"Neville!"

It started to feel like she was being put through a press. It started in her stomach and fanned out from there. It felt like she was in a vice or the Scavenger's daughter device that she had studied in school. When the pressure lessened, Tessa took a chance and opened her eyes. What she was seeing was not the inside of the tents from the wedding but something more dreary, dark, and depressing.

"Until I tire of teaching you your place, Mudblood, this will be your new home."

She thought her life was routine, shitty even. When she finally thought she had turned it around by meeting someone, whatever this is happens. And by the looks of the cell she was in, Tessa was not going to be having tea with the Queen any time soon.

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**Note2: _Meus Pectus Pectoris Est Vestri _means My Heart is Yours...**


	3. A Ritual and Blood Magic

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own characters...Enjoy...

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"Harry, there has to be something that we can do. It's been months since the attack and if they had killed Tessa, wouldn't they have dumped her body for someone to find? Neville is still beside himself for not protecting her better," Ginny Potter said.

"We've done what we could do. Malfoy has not been found and the searches of any Malfoy property turned up nothing. Draco Malfoy has even sworn under Veritaserum that he knows nothing."

"Like we can trust that Death Eater," Ron replied.

"He came to us, Ron, and told us what Voldemort ordered him to do. It's because of him that we were able to fake Dumbledore's death."

"But he still let the Death Eaters in and those students were cursed."

"They knew what they were getting into and Madam Pomfrey was able to heal them. Malfoy Sr. has to be somewhere. Harry, have you checked out where Voldemort was hiding before the battle?" Hermione Granger, soon to be Weasley, asked.

"Yes but that place was destroyed. Voldemort and his followers could be meeting anywhere. He would most likely stay in Britain while recuperating. I still can't believe he made another Horcrux. After Neville destroyed Nagini, I thought it was all over. One curse and this bloody war would be over."

"It could be worse, Harry. Voldemort has been quiet for the last 3 years. Only a handful of attacks and no one was seriously injured or died. I've been researching in the Dark Arts books that Professor Dumbledore was able to locate. I found the ritual he used in the graveyard. It had an interesting note that the ritual can only be used once. It also listed another ritual he could use to regenerate."

"Hermione, you were never good at hiding something. I'm not going to like what that ritual entails, am I?" Harry said.

"It might have been the reason they attacked the wedding. They were probably targeting any witch. Tessa was…"

"What, collateral? Why would Voldemort need a witch?" Neville said, standing in the doorway looking pale and sad.

"He combines the last Horcrux with a newborn baby. His current body is destroyed and he continues to live on in the new one. Another ritual ages him from the infant stage. Voldemort gets more than just a new body. The baby's soul combines with his so he also starts anew with a full soul."

Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Neville thought about what Hermione just revealed to them. Neville began tearing himself down again for not protecting his Muggle girlfriend and trying to keep himself from thinking about what could be happening to her. Harry worried for Tessa but was more worried for Neville. He hadn't seen his mate this upset since confronting Bellatrix Lestrange in the Ministry 5 years ago. Ginny instinctively placed her hand on her stomach for the new life that Harry and her had created. She hadn't told her husband yet and this was not the time to be mentioning it.

"But no one else was taken from the reception. Victoire said that Tessa didn't know that they were Death Eaters so if Malfoy knew she was Muggle, why take her and not go for someone with magic? Wouldn't combining the last piece of his soul with that of a pureblood baby solidify his superiority factor? Why use a half blood baby if that's why they're keeping Tessa?" Ron suggested.

While Ron Weasley wasn't known for his above average intelligence, he did raise some interesting points. There were no other attacks in the days after the reception and even though he was a half blood, most would assume that Voldemort would want to come back as a pureblood. So why take a Muggle?

"Because you can't impregnate a raped witch. A student was attacked at the end of last term and I was in the hospital wing stocking Poppy's healing plants when she was brought in. I overheard Poppy tell her that a witch's magic will protect herself from becoming pregnant after being raped," Neville whispered, his voice carrying to the others' ears.

The former shy boy looked to Harry before leaving. He needed to be far away before his anger caused his magic to explode. He apparated as close to Hogwarts as he could. Neville ran through the wards, up to the school doors, and continued until he reached the Room of Requirement. It had been damaged in the Battle of Hogwarts but after a year, the school had healed itself and recreated the Room of Requirement. He didn't care what the room looked like as long as the school wasn't destroyed. Once that door shut behind him, he broke down.

His magic exploded and caused the furniture that the Room supplied for him to ignite. Neville fell to his knees and poured every emotion into the scream and his magic. He could feel the room shake around him but didn't let up until he cried himself dry. The Room extinguished the fires and recreated the Gryffindor common room. Neville pulled himself up and sat on the couch.

"Would you like to talk about it, my boy?" Albus Dumbledore spoke from the entryway.

"Nothing to know except Voldemort is planning on using my girlfriend to come back. Hermione found a ritual that allows Voldemort to join the last Horcrux with a newborn baby and you know that a witch can't be forced to get pregnant."

"You do not know for certain that Tessa will be the one they use in the ritual. They might have already had a Muggle. The potion needed is quite complex and takes almost the entire pregnancy to brew."

Neville stood up and faced the Headmaster. He resembled the same Dumbledore from his school years except that one of his hands had been cut off and his hair was quite longer, whiter even. It had been cursed by one of the Horcruxes and they used it to his fake death.

"YOU KNOW OF THE RITUAL?" Neville yelled.

"Severus located it in one of his books after your 4th year. There was no need to research it further."

Neville tore past his colleague and ran to the entrance of the Headmaster's office. Shouting the password ('Fruit Pastilles') he ran up the revolving stairs and barged into the office. He strode up to the Potions Master's portrait and harshly woke the sleeping man up.

"Longbottom, what is the meaning of this?" Severus Snape sneered.

"You listen here, Snape. I never liked you as a professor, quite afraid of you in fact but you know of a ritual that Voldemort is using on my girlfriend. You will tell me everything you know of the ritual or else I will cast a powerful _Incendio_ on your portrait after I freeze you inside the frame. And when the school replaces your portrait, I'll keep burning it until you finally tell me what I want to know."

The dark eyes of the former Professor and Headmaster took in the younger man. While he would never let anyone know but he held a small flicker of respect for the man in front of him. He stuck through Potions, protected the school in his 7th year and helped Potter to fight the Dark Lord. This blackmailing was a very Slytherin thing to do and he too respected that.

"What would you like to know, Longbottom?"

Snape told Neville everything that he knew of the ritual. He even went as far as naming the Dark Arts book where he located the information. Neville was trembling. What his former professor described was more disturbing than he imagined. He had to find Tessa and save her from the fate Voldemort bestowed upon her.

"That bloody bastard. I know there's nothing that I can do for you but I need you to tell me how I can locate Lucius Malfoy and I could care less right now if it's Light or Dark magic I just need to find Tessa and that means any way possible."

"It's Blood magic, Longbottom. You will need Draco and by combining his blood and a spell, it will locate any living relative you request. It is not for the faint hearted. The spell will drain you of your magic momentarily and will lower any wards surrounding the area you are in."

Neville had Snape tell him the incantation for the spell before voicing his idea, "So I prick Malfoy, say the spell, and have someone apparate me to where Malfoy Sr. is so I can beat him to a bloody pulp for taking Tessa."

"You need more than a little prick of blood. The amount of blood needed is quite substantial and I can assure you, Draco will not go along with it."

"I'll deal with that Slytherin."


	4. Doing What's Necessary

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own characters...Enjoy...

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Neville stormed out of the office and passed the wards surrounding Hogwarts so he could apparate. He reappeared in an alley near the Ministry and walked to the visitor's entrance. Even if he had to kidnap Draco Malfoy to do the spell, he was determined to find Tessa that day.

He registered his wand at the security desk and rode the lift to Malfoy's office. Because he hadn't been marked and had turned his back on the Death Eaters and Voldemort, Draco was given a position in the Ministry that held plenty of political power: assistant to the new Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

"Excuse me, sir. How may I help you?" the witch sitting behind a desk asked as Neville got off the elevator.

"I need to speak to Draco Malfoy. Tell him Neville Longbottom is here."

She went through the door behind her and spoke to Draco. She came back out and waved Neville into the office. The door closed behind him and he took in the office. It was decorated in Slytherin colors and was quite large. The dark furniture offset the emerald green that covered the walls. His eyes settled on the man sitting behind the desk. His skin was just as pale as in school ad his hair was a tad longer and loose, not gelled back like when he was 11.

"What is so urgent, Longbottom?"

"Even if you don't know it, you can help me find Tessa."

"I've already told you that I do not know and do not care where my father is. I might not hate Muggles but I am not going out of my way to help you find your missing girlfriend. It's been months, Longbottom. No one survives that long when held captive by Death Eaters. They have their fun and dispose of the body."

"Not when they're using Tessa to bring Voldemort back. I need your blood and you're going to give it to me."

"No bloody way, Longbottom," Draco snarled.

Neville quickly shot off a spell at Draco and caught him in the chest. The frozen body slid to the floor and the Gryffindor walked over to it. The spell that he was about to cast was a difficult Transfiguration spell. He had never been able to accomplish it in class all those years ago but he knew deep down that he would be able to do it today. Finding Tessa was his motivation.

"_Fio a Silicis_!"

Neville picked up the light colored rock from the floor and placed it in his pocket. With a smirk that would have done the blond proud, Neville strode out of the room and quickly out of the Ministry of Magic. He apparated to the only place he knew he would have privacy, the Shrieking Shack.

With a flick of his wand, the rock turned back into Draco and was quickly tied up. From Snape's description, Neville believed that Draco had to be awake while the spell happened. Draco began thrashing on the floor and cursing at Neville.

"Shut the bloody hell up, Malfoy. I'm going to do what I need to do to find Tessa and when she's safe, I'll go to Azkaban, be your servant for a month, do whatever you want me to do within reason."

Draco stopped cursing but kept thrashing. Neville shook his head and cast his cutting curse on the blond. Blood seeped through the robes and onto the dirty floor. The pain must have been too much because Draco stopped moving and his skin began to get paler.

"_Locus Lucius Malfoy_!"

Snape had been right. Just even saying the incantation took a lot of magic from Neville. He would pour as much magic as he needed into the spell. He held his wand on the bleeding man until a map appeared before him with the location of the Death Eater. Neville memorized the location and ended the spell. He fell, landing on all fours in the blood and cast one more spell before his magic was completely drained.

The blood stopped flowing and the wound healed. Draco watched as Neville stood up and dug a vial out of his cloak.

"A blood replenishing draught. The ropes should loosen in a minute or two. Thank you, Draco," a raspy Neville said.

He stumbled from the Shrieking Shack and walked up to the little clearing where he was to met Harry and Ron. He had sent his Patronus before he had left for the Ministry and without question they both agreed to meet him.

"Neville, you look awful. What happened?" Ron asked when he appeared.

"I found Malfoy Sr. Did you bring the potion?"

Ron handed two vials to Neville and watched as he drank them. Both were an energizing potion, much like Muggle caffeine but quite stronger. Neville regained his color and his eyes held a sense of renewed fire. He stood straighter and they waited for Harry to apparate in. When he appeared, Neville told them the location and went side along with Harry since his magic hadn't fully returned with the potion.

The three apparated to a run down house just outside of Alnwick. They could feel the wards that surrounded the place. Ron spotted movement on the second floor and pointed it out to his friends. Rather than standing out in the open, they ducked behind a cluster of trees to discuss their plan.

"Bill's taught me a few ward breaking spells but if Voldemort put them up, I doubt they will work. If we can get through the wards, I suggest we use concealment charms to scout out the house."

"They'll probably have her in one of the upper rooms. She may be captive but they'll want her comfortable if she's to be part of the ritual. Do we know if Malfoy's still here?" Harry said.

"He's still here," Neville replied, holding up one of his hands.

The blood that he had landed in was glowing slightly. It had done that when he performed the spell. Ron nodded and worked on the wards. Neville rested and was recouping his magic levels when Ron finished with the wards. Harry cast concealment charms on the three of them and they moved closer to the house.

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**Note2: _Fio a Silicis_ means Become a Rock...and _Locus Lucius Malfoy_ means Locate Lucius Malfoy...**


	5. An Attempt

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own characters...Enjoy...

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"Avery, what is this swill? The Dark Lord wishes the Mudblood to be given proper food. This is not proper food. For your insolence…_Crucio_!"

Avery pitched into the nearest wall and convulsed as the Unforgivable coursed through his body. The Dark Lord had ordered superior service for the Mudblood but he couldn't fathom actually feeding it so he threw together some food scraps and made a soup. A bowl with a slice of bread had been its meals until Malfoy stuck his nose where it didn't belong.

Lucius Malfoy threw the bowl of swill at the other Death Eater and had the cowering house elf put together a large plate of roast beef, potatoes, corn, and a biscuit. If the Dark Lord wanted the Mudblood to be treated like a pureblood, he would follow the order. He wouldn't like it but he'll do what his Master ordered.

The door opened and the figure on the bed barely looked up before rolling over. Lucius entered the room and put the tray down on the bed. The Mudblood was still so he took the opportunity to look at her. When she had stood up to him at the wedding, he was excited to break her of that spirit. His nether regions stirred at the fantasy but when the Dark Lord heard of the Mudblood's capture, he informed his Death Eaters of the ritual to restore his body.

To see if the ritual would work, several diagnostic charms were cast. If they showed she was not viable, the Dark Lord had granted Lucius the pleasure of breaking her. If she were viable, then the Dark Lord would choose the man to be the father of the baby he would eventually take over. The charms showed something entirely different. The Dark Lord would not have to choose or wait for conception to happen because the Mudblood was already pregnant. The charms revealed it was quite recent.

"Eat or I will force you to eat."

The light shined against his hair and the Mudblood looked up. It was then that she realized it wasn't the other man. He tended to get grabby and tried to rape her once but a knee to his groin stopped him cold.

"Ah, the blond git from the wedding. It has been awhile. I believe your last words to me were about teaching me about my proper place. Yet here I am in this lovely room, being treated liked a queen. Anything I want is brought to me by one of you in the dresses. I don't know why this is but it brings forth a happy feeling to see you eat your words."

Lucius wasn't hearing exactly what the Mudblood was saying. He heard what he wanted to hear and was imagining her writhing on the bed under him pleading for him to go faster and harder. He had seen her memories of the night with that blood traitor Longbottom and seeing her reaction to what that novice could do had Lucius wanting to teach her exactly what being fucked by an expert could feel like. A Malfoy is always better at anything and everything that another wizard could do.

"You may be treated like a queen now but I will have the satisfaction of teaching you your place soon. When the time comes you will be pleading with me, pleading for pleasure or pleading for death. Mark my words, Mudblood, I will break you."

Lucius left the room and locked the door behind him. Tessa was unsure if she should eat what the man had brought her but if her suspicions were correct, she would need all the nutrition she could get. That morning had been the fifth day she had woken up sick and in the months she had been locked away, she had yet to have her cycle. It could only mean she was pregnant and unless one of the men in the dresses had raped her when she was unconscious, Neville's the father.

The smell of the food was almost orgasmic. She was starving so she jumped up from her spot on the bed and grabbed the tray of food. The roast beef was cooked perfectly and the potatoes were heaping full of sour cream, chives, and bacon, just how she liked it. The corn was delicious but she would have put more butter on it. Once every morsel of food was gone, the plates and tray disappeared.

Tessa thought to what the blond guy had told her. It seemed that she was there for a purpose and she hoped they didn't know about the baby and would kill it once it was born. Having a baby at this time in her life wasn't part of her overall plan but that one night with Neville and the time before she had been kidnapped gave her hope at the way her life was turning out. Now she just needed to leave this place but any traditional escaping wasn't going to happen. While Tessa didn't quite believe in magic, she had seen plenty of it recently and knew they could stop her with one word.

"Where's my knight when you need him," she breathed.

She stood by the window in the room and looked out onto the little forest. Tessa wished she could be outside breathing in the crisp air. She loved being outside and being stuck in this room for months was beginning to get to her. The door opened behind her but she continued to stare out the window.

"Tessa?"

She whipped around and her knight was standing right there. His shirt was ripped and she could see blood from a cut on his cheek. He shut the door behind him and waved his wand at it. Tessa tentatively walked towards him. She was worried he would see the bump she had and not find her attractive.

"Are you hurt? What did they do to you? Do you need to see a healer? Of course, you need a healer. You've been locked away and probably tortured for the last four months," Neville rambled.

"Do shut up, Neville. I missed you too. I want to snog you senseless but can we get out of here first?"

"Ron and Harry are tying up some loose ends. They'll let us know when it's clear to leave. I'm sorry, Tessa, for not protecting you, for taking so long to find you, for everything. I've tried to find you. Harry's used his connections searching Death Eater hideouts. We've questioned several people and I resorted to using Blood magic to find Malfoy. I didn't even know you would be here but we overheard a couple of Death Eaters talking about you.

"These last few months have been hell. I dream of them torturing you, killing you, turning you into a slave. I dream that you'll end up like my parents locked away in some hospital ward unaware of what's going on around them. One night I even hoped you were dead so that you didn't have to feel the pain that they were inflicting on you but I wanted you to be alive. I would have done anything to find you, Tessa. I would have taken a page out of the Death Eater handbook if it meant finding you alive and safe."

"Shh. It's alright. I'm fine and besides one or two episodes of being felt up, I've been treated quite nicely compared to the others I've seen or heard. There is a reason for it but right now, I just want you to take me away from here. Take me anywhere as long as you're there with me."

Neville grabbed her hand and reached for the doorknob. He turned the knob to the right and pulled the door open. Standing on the other side was Bellatrix. Her brown hair was as tangled and crazy as it had been since escaping from Azkaban. Her wand was pointed straight at Neville and Tessa.

"Where do you think you're going, little Neville? Taking the Dark Lord's Mudblood?"

"Move," he threatened.

Bellatrix gave Neville a 'make me' look. He pushed Tessa behind the door and began throwing spells at the witch. She hastily blocked the spells and when given the opportunity, she returned the favor with her favorite curse. He dodged the spell and lured her into the room. He motioned to Tessa to leave while he dealt with the psychopathic Death Eater.

"_Crucio_!"

Tessa couldn't block the spell like Neville so it hit her. Her chest was on fire. It felt like her heart was being squeezed and constricted. She fell to her knees, hands clenching at the shirt she was wearing. The pain started to fill her body, her arms and legs were on fire. The skin felt like it was being pulled off torturously slow and in small pieces.

"Ahhhhh," Tessa screamed.

Bellatrix took a second to see her handiwork but Neville took that time to use the same spell he had used mere hours before. The Cruciatus curse broke when long and deep gashes covered the Death Eater's body. Tessa was still feeling the after effects and curled around the baby bump. After those few moments, her first concern was about the baby and not herself.

Neville glanced at Tessa and then focused on the bleeding woman in front of him.

"You took my parents, took Harry's godfather, and tried to take the love of my life. If I killed you right now, I doubt anyone would bat an eye."

Neville summoned Bellatrix's wand and snapped it. He threw the pieces at her and stepped closer.

"How would you like to die? The quick and painless way is out since you never gave your victims that chance. I could leave you here bleeding or maybe I collapse the ceiling onto you. I'm not one for torture or causing pain but in your case, I'd make the exception."

Tessa watched as Neville threatened the woman. She knew from their talk that first night that a woman had been responsible for putting his parents into a vegetative state when he was a baby. She knew he wanted revenge but he seemed to be too nice, too considerate to do what needed to be done. Her role in whatever was happening to Tessa must have been the breaking point.

As Neville talked and Tessa watched, no one saw the rat slink into the room. It was no ordinary rat. This one had a silver paw and was actually a man named Peter Pettigrew. He had hidden when the 3 Gryffindors had entered the house and watched as Harry and Ron dealt with the Death Eaters and Neville went to find the girl.

Peter knew the girl had a crucial role in the Dark Lord's ritual so he hid behind a chair to transform back into his human form. The apparition wards were failing and once they fell, he'd apparate with the girl to his Master's side. The house shook and rumbled. Pieces of the ceiling collapsed but didn't land anywhere near the four people. Neville levitated a heavy piece and held it over Bellatrix's legs. He planned to pin her there and leave. If the place collapsed it wouldn't be completely his fault she died.

Tessa stood and took a step closer. She didn't want Neville to live with this on his conscious.

"Neville, please. I know she did terrible things and has no remorse but you're not a killer. You may think killing her would be payback for your parents but I don't think they'd want their son to have her blood on his hands. You're a great man, Neville Longbottom."

"So the Mudblood can speak rather than scream. Only good use is for target practice."

Neville raised the ceiling piece before Tessa stopped him.

"Don't. Leave her and take me, us home. Neville, I'm pregnant."

"I know. It's part of their plans."

"It's yours. Not theirs."

Neville's eyes settled on Tessa and could clearly see the bump. He lowered the ceiling piece as the house shook and the wards fell. Peter dashed out from behind the chair and grabbed the girl. As the pop from the apparition echoed in the room, Bellatrix began to cackle.

"And you thought you'd live happily ever after."

Neville Longbottom screamed in anger, frustration, and angst. His magic responded and lashed out. It threw Bellatrix across the room, her head hitting the mantle on the fireplace. It created fire throughout the room, engulfing anything flammable.

"Tessa!"

A second blast of magic sliced through the second floor and buckled the walls. He knew what was coming next and didn't even bother to protect himself from the caving ceiling. He'd rather be dead than not have Tessa beside him any longer. He took one last look at the spot where Tessa had stood before a large piece of ceiling fell on top of him.


	6. Determination by Love

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own characters...Enjoy...

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"Harry, I'm going to visit Neville after the Healer's appointment. With his gran's passing, he has no one," Ginny said.

"I can't, Gin. I failed him. He asked for my help to get Tessa back and I couldn't do that. Now he's in St. Mungo's under a coma inducing potion and even more alone than before. You heard the Healers. He barely survived the cave in then to almost die from all the healing spells and Skele-Gro. I can't see him like that. I failed him and can't fail him again. We got a lead on a Death Eater camp. After the appointment, the team and I will be checking it out."

"Fine. Just don't fail me and not come back. Your daughter and I will need you."

Ginny's pregnancy was going quite smoothly. Aside from some morning sickness and minor mood swings, she's never felt better. Her mind often wandered to Tessa and her pregnancy. Harry had viewed Neville's memories once he was healed and had seen Tessa declare Neville as the father. That was part of the reason Harry felt so bad for failing their friend.

Tessa would be due in a few short weeks if the Cruciatus curse from Bellatrix hadn't terminated the pregnancy. While Ginny didn't know about the entire ritual, she knew enough and prayed to Merlin that she would be found soon.

After the Healer checked on the baby, Ginny left Harry to go to the special room the hospital had set up for Neville. Since his condition didn't fall into any of normal categories they normally treat, they had given him a bed near the ward where his parents reside. She waved to the Healers she saw and entered the room. He was lying in bed dressed in red pajamas and looking peaceful. Her heart broke at the thought of what he had experienced with losing Tessa again.

"You're looking good, Neville. The Healers say your body is all healed but are worried at your state of mind if they bring you out of the coma. They don't want you to know but even if you can't hear me, I believe you have the right to know. Your grandmother rushed here to see you after she was told of your injuries. She held your hand while they ran diagnostic spells and nearly lost you.

"To see you lying there covered in blood and looking as if you were dead was heartbreaking. She left you in their hands to visit your parents. No one knows what really happened but when the night Healer went to check on your parents, she found your gran slumped over being held by your father. I'm so sorry, Neville, but she was too far gone for the Healers to do anything."

Augusta Longbottom had been laid to rest while her family was laid up in St. Mungo's, either unaware of what was going on around them or in a coma. Anyone and everyone who knew Augusta or Neville were there paying their respect. Aside from paying respects for the deceased they were also paying respects to Neville, wishing he would waken soon.

"Ron and Harry are looking for her. They've been checking out any leads and have even thought of doing that spell that you did on Malfoy but with Lucius dead, he can't help us. With Crabbe dying during the battle and Goyle's father succumbing from his injuries later, I don't know of another Death Eater heir who could be used."

"Who said it had to be a Death Eater heir?" a voice drawled from the doorway.

Ginny whipped out her wand and faced the person standing there. He was leaning against the doorframe without a care in the world. His dark robes were meticulous and offset his pale skin and blond hair.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"You're not the only one to visit Longbottom. He may have kidnapped me, nearly allowed me to bleed to death, and was partly responsible for killing my father. But his actions were understandable. I am not angry for what he did. Actually grateful because I admit my father was the largest bloody git after the Dark Lord."

The redhead lowered her wand and Draco stepped into the room. He looked at the man in the bed and saw the changes from the last time he had visited. He hadn't lied to Ginny about visiting. He stopped by often so he could thank the man for what he did if he ever woke.

"He needed to be told. It's been nearly 5 months. They need to wake him so he can begin to mourn. He may lash out but he needs to know."

"His magic took out an entire floor of a house, Weaselette. When he finds out that there is no one here for him, he will level the entire hospital. But what if there is a way to have someone, if not 2 here waiting for him to wake up?"

"What are you going on about, Malfoy?"

"I can help you find Tessa and the baby."

"If you are joking in anyway, Malfoy, I will hex your bollocks off. I'm pregnant and hormonal. Not to mention I can pack more punch behind my spells these days. Tell me what you think you can do."

"You said there were no more Death Eater heirs to do the blood magic on. I have had my personal Healers research the Cruciatus curse. It would be harmful if done during the first 3 months but by the 4th month, the magic of the fetus will protect it. She is still carrying Longbottom's child. You could use his blood to find the baby."

"Do it," the man in bed whispered.

Draco and Ginny faced Neville to see him awake.

"I need you to find Tessa for me. If there's even a slim chance that she and the baby are alive, I need to know. Disengage the alarm and do the spell. I need her."

Ginny looked to Draco and nodded. He canceled the alarm to alert the Healers if Neville took a turn for the worse and sealed the room. Neville raised his arm for Draco to perform the spell on and waited for the pain. Draco cast the cutting curse, Neville's pureblood dripping down onto the bed.

"_Locus Heir of Neville Longbottom_!"

After a few moments, they watched as a map appeared before them with a blinking dot of where Tessa and the baby were located. It seemed they were being hidden somewhere near Belfast. Loud alarms were going off indicating the wards around St. Mungo's were failing. As Draco took down the location, Ginny healed Neville's wounds.

"Let's go. We need to get Tessa out of there. Call Harry and Ron. We'll need their help."

"Neville, you just woke up and lost a bunch of blood. Malfoy's weak from the spell. I will alert Harry and Ron and Malfoy will show us the way but you're staying here. You can barely lift your head let alone fight against Death Eaters."

Ginny cast her Patronus and gave it a message. The horse galloped off through the walls and over what land it needed to find its caster's husband and brother. She pushed Draco into a chair since he was looking a bit faint. She banished the bloody sheets and replaced them with fresh sheets and unsealed the room.

A Healer rushed into the room and was surprised to see Neville awake. She ran some diagnostic spells and sighed.

"The good thing is you're awake. The bad thing is that you're weak and your recent burst of magic has played havoc on the wards. A few energizing potions and plenty of rest will help. I know that you've spent the last few months in a coma but your body and magical core were not recharging. When you're finished visiting, I strongly suggest you sleep, Mr. Longbottom."

The Healer pulled a few vials from her robes and placed them on the bedside table. She instructed that after resting, he was to wait 5 minutes between each potion before she left the room. Neville grabbed a vial and handed it to the blond.

"You need it more than me if you're going to show Harry and Ron where Tessa is being kept. I'm sorry for kidnapping and hurting you. I know there's nothing I can say or do to show you how much I appreciate your help. If and when you need a favor, I will do all I can to help you."

"There is no need, Longbottom, but if you do want to show your gratitude, you can name your first born son after me," he smirked.

Ginny and Neville were shocked. Draco Malfoy had just made a joke. The Slytherin drank the energizing potion and stood. It was that moment that Harry and Ron burst through the door.

"Mate, glad to see you awake. When Ginny's Patronus told us you were awake and knew where Tessa was, the entire team was surprised. They followed us here and demanded that they be allowed to help with her rescue. We also have another team on standby if we need their assistance. Wait, Malfoy, what are you doing here?"

"He knows the location. I had him do the blood location spell. Tessa's still pregnant. Harry, I know you feel like you failed me but you didn't. I failed myself. Please don't be too hard on yourself."

Harry nodded and with a few words, they all left. Ginny was going to head home to rest and the men were going to meet up with the other Aurors and find Tessa. Neville waited a good enough time before slipping out of bed. He drank down the 3 potions at once and snuck out of his room. Whenever he heard someone coming, he hid. He just needed to get to the Floo and take it to Diagon Alley. Neville needed a wand and he needed it now.

Ollivander's Wand Shop had reopened after the Battle of Hogwarts. All wizarding children visited the shop just before heading off to Hogwarts because the best wands were there. When Neville was eleven, he was given his father's wand to use because that was what his Gran wanted. When that wand was broken during his 5th year at the fight at the Ministry, he paid a visit to Ollivander and was fitted for a wand that worked so much better. The wand was like a key, which opened his magic. With that key being lost in the cave in, his magic was trapped.

"Ah, Mr. Longbottom. I believe I know what you are here for. Most wizards do not need a third wand."

"Most wizards don't fight Death Eaters or have the lives of their girlfriend and child threatened. I don't have the time, Mr. Ollivander. I need to rescue the one I love and I need a new wand to do that."

"That you do, my boy, that you do."

He didn't need to test several wands with the boy, no, the man. Ollivander knew the exact wand and went straight for it. His old hands slid the box from the shelf and dusted it off. Inside was a medium length brown wand.

"It's made from katsura wood. It's also known as the heart tree. The core is not one but two strands of hair. One strand comes from Romeo Montague and the other from Juliet Capulet. They were not mere figments of a playwright's mind but in fact a wizard and a witch."

"Wait. Capulet?"

"Yes. Now let me finish so you may go save your true love. Romeo and Juliet did die for each other but not before having a son. They died much like the Potters, protecting their son from their families. Many believed the son was taken away and killed while some believe that Juliet's nursemaid took the boy and raised him.

"They were destined to be together and if you and your love are meant to be, then this will be the wand for you. Take it."

Neville took the wand and was surrounded by light and warmth. He transfigured his hospital pajamas into proper clothes. He looked to Ollivander to thank him but the man was already gone. He left the store and immediately apparated to the location near Belfast.


	7. Slytherin Trickery

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own characters...Enjoy...

* * *

**

The last few months have been hard on Tessa. She was looking forward to being with Neville again, only to be taken away and forced to look at a decrepit man with snake eyes. The men in black dresses locked her up in another room under 24 hour supervision. She now knew them to be Death Eaters but the dress idea brought a smile to her face.

A month into her stay at the new place Tessa was taken before the snake man again. He was clearly thrilled that her pregnancy was progressing nicely and even ordered her to eat dinner with him. It was over the shepherds pie that he gave her something.

"In the months that you have been here, I am sure that you have seen the magic being cast. I know one of my Death Eaters cast a very terrible curse at you earlier in your pregnancy and you should know that it had been strictly forbidden. She has been dealt with but I want you to know that your child is special and it will be protected at all costs. I have placed several protection spells on this necklace and would like you to wear it until the baby is born."

"Why should I give a rat's arse for what you want? If you're the so called Dark Lord that I hear everyone talking about, you don't care for people like me. Why treat me like royalty when you really despise me and wish me dead? How do I know that the necklace isn't something that is going to kill me or my baby? Why should I trust you?" Tessa said.

"Because the child you are carrying will end this war. You do not need to wear the necklace but keep it in your room. I swear on my father's grave that nothing will harm you and the baby once it's born."

No normal person would swear on the grave of either parent so Tessa took the chance and trusted the man. She took the necklace and pocketed it. Tom Riddle, or Voldemort as he liked to be called, smiled. He was no ordinary person and he despised his Muggle father so swearing on the man's grave would not cause the world to end when his promise was broken.

Tessa had kept the necklace nearby at all times but never wore it. Something deep down told her not to and while she believed the man wouldn't hurt her she wasn't taking the chance. She spent most of her time in bed sleeping or reading. Since there were no regular books, she was forced to read old schoolbooks about Transfiguration, Charms, History, and Potions. A few times after she read a passage from one of the books, it would happen. The first time it happened she had turned her glass into a toad and then back again. It had freaked her out especially since it coincided with a kick from the baby. She knew then that her baby could do magic like its father.

She had been napping when a loud bang woke her. The man in the dress grabbed his wand and performed several spells at the door.

"Whatever is happening will not get through that."

Tessa wasn't thinking about what the man had said. She was listening to the explosions happening downstairs and the shouting that was coming closer to her room. The house shook and Tessa knew it was a rescue attempt. She scooted closer to the edge of the bed to get out. The man watched as she pulled herself up and went towards the bathroom. She had to get him to come to her so she grabbed her bump and slumped over.

"Oh, God. It's happening."

Tessa did a great job pretending to be in labor. The man came over and helped her back to the bed. Any Death Eater who watched over the woman had been instructed to get the Dark Lord as soon as the contractions and labor began. With the battle on the other side of the door, he was unsure as what to do. He turned to look at the door and Tessa grabbed the heavy vase from the bedside table. She brought it down across the man's head and felt triumphant when he blacked out.

"Git."

The house shook again and with what happened at the last house she had been locked away in, Tessa wanted to get out of there and be standing in an open field when it came crashing down. She picked up the fallen wand and reached for the Charms schoolbook. Flipping it to the previous chapter, she located the spell. She hoped that she could channel her child's magic to perform the spell.

"_Bombarda_!"

The door blasted away but a hazy shield stood in front of the door. Tessa could look out and see what was happening but whatever the Death Eater had cast kept the room sealed. She looked to the window but it was a very long fall to the ground below.

"Bloody hell. I just want to get out of here," she cried.

She slumped against the bed and began crying. She had seen the signs for the last few days and knew the baby would be coming soon. Tessa didn't want to have her baby here, being held captive by men who clearly hated her.

"Oh, Neville. Please get me out of here."

* * *

The team of Aurors and Draco landed after taking a portkey from St. Mungo's. Harry immediately began barking orders and the men listened. The older men had known Neville's parents and wanted to do something for their son since they weren't there when the former Aurors had been tortured. The younger men had grown up alongside Neville and respected him for what he had done with Dumbledore's Army in his last year. Each knew that Neville was due for a break and if reuniting him with his love was it, they were willing to fight for that break.

"Tessa is somewhere in that house. She is pregnant and nearing the end. Use any spell you wish, it would be justified. Deal with the Death Eaters and find her. If you are the one to find her, do not apparate. Create a portkey and take her to St. Mungo's. Send a signal through your badge so we know. Malfoy, this is where you decide if you work with us or leave."

"I'm not going anywhere, Potter."

The team quickly gained entrance and worked their way through the main floor of the house. As soon as they met the first Death Eater, more began pouring out of various rooms. A loud bang echoed throughout the house from a spell an Auror had cast. The team separated and began casting spells at the other men. Harry and Ron were fighting 3 Death Eaters near the stairs while one Auror was in the sitting room casting binding spells at anything that moved. Draco was at the back of the house near the kitchen, conjuring silver objects to hurl at Fenrir Greyback.

"How low you have fallen, Greyback," he drawled.

"You're the one who has fallen, Malfoy, a blood traitor fighting with Potter to save one Mudblood. If your father were still here, he'd kill you than have a disgrace in the family."

Draco saw past the werewolf and saw the cauldron smoking above the fire. Various vials of potion ingredients were scattered around the room and he knew that this must be the potion the Dark Lord would need for the ritual. The Slytherin knew he had to dispose of the potion and get back to finding Tessa.

The house shook and Draco took the time to cast a rare spell he had found years ago when the Dark Lord had taken refuge at Malfoy Manor. He had been cornered by Greyback and nearly bitten when his father interrupted them. He then spent the next few weeks finding spells he could use against the werewolf if he was ever cornered again.

A cage appeared around Greyback made entirely from silver. The werewolf shrieked when his finger grazed the bars. There was still room to move around but Draco had had enough with Greyback. He summoned the other wand and cast a shrinking spell on the cage.

"Enjoy your last moments, Greyback."

Draco Malfoy did not look back. He had no conscious when it came to doing things that needed to be done and Greyback needed to be stopped. He locked himself into the room and sealed it with wards only a Malfoy could take down. He scanned the notes sitting on the desk and was thankful for his godfather's teachings all those years. He checked the ingredients and found several that he could use.

"Merlin, I hope this works."

Draco threw the ingredients into the cauldron and ran to the farthest corner for protection. He erected a shield in front of him to keep the explosion from hurting him. It took several moments for the potion to mix with the new ingredients and explode. It shook the house almost off its foundation. When the smoke and debris cleared, the potion had been destroyed and Draco couldn't feel the apparition wards any longer.

When the explosion happened, Harry and Ron knocked into each other and their spells took down the Death Eaters.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron asked.

"I don't care. Summon the other team. Tell them to apparate since the wards fell."

Harry hurried up the stairs and saw a door being blasted away. He tried to make his way to the room but several Death Eaters waylaid him. He heard Ron coming up behind him and managed to stun one. Past the other Death Eaters, Harry watched as Voldemort walked out of a room near the back.

"When will you learn, Potter? You cannot kill me."

Voldemort walked through the shield surrounding Tessa's door and looked down on the crying woman. Without the Horcrux, Voldemort would not survive fighting Harry. His body was slowly falling apart and his magic was getting weaker. He needed the new body soon or he would become the same type of essence he had been when he controlled Quirrell.

**POP!**

"Get away from her."

Both Voldemort and Tessa looked up to see who had apparated into the room. One was indifferent and the other was ecstatic at seeing Neville. She struggled to stand and wanted to rush over there. His eyes weren't focused on her though. They were trained on the other wizard and filled with hatred.

"You will die tonight, Riddle."

"Could you kill to save her life, Longbottom?"

"Until my death, I would. I will find that Horcrux and destroy it.

"You will never find it and you may keep me from using this Mudblood in the ritual but there are plenty out there."

"You've held fear over everyone's lives for far too long. There's no escaping, surely you felt the new wards go up. The only way out of this room is if you're dead."

Voldemort chuckled. He brandished his wand and held it at Neville.

"You may kill this body but my soul still lives on. It should be reaching its destination soon. She may have been saved from me once but she will not survive this time."

Harry and Ron were standing on the other side of the shielded door. It took a second before Harry realized whom Voldemort was talking about. His Patronus sprang forth from his wand and was told to hurry with his message.

"Go, Harry. We'll make sure he doesn't leave that room."

Harry dashed out the house, past the Aurors, and the captured Death Eaters to the edge of the wards. He didn't waste a moment to apparate home.

"Before we duel, Longbottom, let me get rid of the unwanted audience," Voldemort said.

He cast the killing curse at the unconscious Death Eater and turned his wand towards Tessa. She held the wand in her hand high and straight at him.

"You silly Mudblood. You think you have magic."

"I don't but my child does. _Bombarda_!"

Voldemort flew back into the shield and crumpled to the floor. He quickly stood and sent a spell at her. Neville blocked it and sent a suffocation spell at the Dark wizard.

"You need to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Neville."

He grasped her hand and cast a shield charm to block the curse Voldemort had just sent at them.

"I love you, Tessa."

"I love you too."

Merlin must have been watching over them that day because the necklace Voldemort had given Tessa began to glow and vibrate across the bedside table. The older wizard saw and dove for it but not before Neville summoned it.

"You tricked Harry. You had him believe Ginny had the Horcrux so he'd leave. Even if I destroy this, he has to be the one to kill you."

"Even if he comes back, he can't get past the wards my Death Eater put on the door. Only those with a Dark Mark can pass through them."

Voldemort began casting hexes, curses, and spells at the pair. Neville protected them and sent back his own. His top priority was to protect Tessa and the baby. He wasn't quick enough to cast the minor hex because he was trying to shield the other more powerful curse. The Jelly Leg jinx caught Tessa and she slipped and slid on the floor before bumping into the bedside table. She caught the edge across her bump before falling to the floor. A look of pain and surprise etched across her face.

"Bad move," Neville seethed.

He moved in front of Tessa and began firing spell after spell. It didn't matter what spells as long as Voldemort had no time to cast any. His Patronus cougar darted around Voldemort snapping its jaws wishing it could take a bite. Neville sent off blasting curses, explosion charms, and the Flagrante curse. Neville could see that Voldemort was wearing down but kept up his attack. He just needed to hold out until Harry came back and figured out a way to get past the shield


	8. A Fight, A Death, and A Rescue

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own characters...Enjoy...

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**

"Ginny! Ginny!" Harry yelled as he yanked open the door to their home.

He started casting the spell he knew for finding Dark artifacts before the last cry of his wife's name left his lips.

"Sweet Merlin, Harry. What has gotten your knickers in a pinch? Did you get Tessa out of there?" Ginny asked as she walked into the front room.

"Did you receive anything by owl lately? It would have come today."

"Just something from Mum. She wanted to send it along earlier before my parents come over for dinner. If you weren't my husband, I'd smack you. You were the one to cast the charm on the house after we moved in, don't you remember? No owl that isn't in tune with the wards is allowed past. Why are you so upset, Harry? Is Tessa alright?"

"She's sealed a room with Neville and Voldemort. He said that he sent his Horcrux to you and that you wouldn't survive if you touched it."

"Did he actually come out and say my name?"

"No but he implied it. Said that she was saved from him once. No one's managed to be saved from him except you."

"In plain terms that's true but think about Tessa. She was taken to bear a Death Eater's child that Voldemort could use in the ritual. She was saved from being raped and forced to carry the child to term. Instead she's having Neville's child. She could be the one Voldemort was referring to."

"I want you to promise me if anything comes, even if it's from your mother or any of your brothers, do not touch it. Have the owl drop it in my study and then seal the room. I have some protection wards set up for when I'm looking at some of the artifacts that we find on a mission."

"YOU BRING DARK ARTIFACTS INTO THIS HOUSE AND DIDN'T TELL ME, HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Ginny yelled.

"I will stop when the baby is born but the wards could save your life."

Harry leaned over and kissed his wife. He rubbed the bump where his daughter was growing and dashed out of the house. He returned back to the house near Belfast and was approached by Ron.

"Ginny's safe. Voldemort only tricked you. He had given the Horcrux to Tessa. Don't know why but it started to glow and Voldemort actually looked scared when it revealing itself. We need to figure out how to get past that shield. Only those with the Dark Mark can get past it."

Harry and Ron wished Hermione was there but she was at Hogwarts teaching her Transfiguration class. With Severus Snape dead, they didn't have a man who could get past the shield. They could hear and see the duel that was happening upstairs. Both wanted to be there to help Nevlle and Tessa.

"Potter, we've taken the captured Death Eaters to the Ministry holding cells. We have a few deceased that we will be carting off to St. Mungo's before releasing them to their families for burial."

"Death Eaters can get past the shield," Ron whispered. "Hey, Harry, fancy a nice tattoo?"

"What are you going on about, Ron? Did you hit your head during the fight?"

"A severing charm. We sever the Dark Mark off the dead Death Eaters and attach them to our arms. The shield will recognize the Mark and allow us through. We can get up behind Voldemort and while you destroy the body, Neville can take care of the Horcrux."

"I'll do anything if it means getting rid of him for good."

Harry and Ron worked on severing off two Dark Marks and attaching them to their own forearms. With one last instruction to the team, they ascended the stairs. Nearing the top they heard a scream filled with torment. The two friends broke into a run and stood outside the door. Inside Voldemort was struggling to keep up a protection shield, Neville's arm was bleeding quite heavily, and Tessa was clutching at her bump.

"Now or never, eh, mate?" Ron said.

Harry nodded and together they stepped through the shield surrounding the door. Neville saw his friends enter the room and sent another spell at the weakening man. He stepped back to brace himself and nearly backed up into Ron and Harry. The redhead snatched away the wand as Voldemort moved away.

"Any last words, Riddle, before we kill you?"

"You couldn't say it years ago at Hogwarts, Potter. What makes you think you can say them now?"

"Neville, toss the Horcrux here."

Neville threw the necklace to Harry and he immediately felt the Dark magic surrounding it. He saw what Voldemort had to do to make it and felt sick at the sight. He threw the necklace on the ground near his enemy's feet.

"I have yet to mutter the two words that you love so much but there are plenty of ways to kill you. Enjoy eternity in Hell, Tom Riddle."

Harry waved his wand in a circular motion before slashing it forward at Voldemort. He had only read about it after the Battle of Hogwarts. He had stored away the information in hopes he would never have to use it since it was Dark magic but the situation called for it. He had to destroy the Horcrux and kill Voldemort and Fiendfyre was the only way since he didn't have the Sword of Gryffindor.

"Neville, portkey Tessa to St. Mungo's now. Ron, get out of here."

They knew how fast Fiendfyre spread so both were quick at getting out of there. Harry waited a moment and made sure that the fire reached Voldemort. As it licked closer to where he had been standing, Harry apparated out of the house to the land surrounding it. The Aurors who stayed quickly set up wards and shields to keep the cursed fire from spreading. Once everything in its path was destroyed, the fire would extinguish itself and the Aurors could lower the wards.

"Thank you all for your help. When it's finished, report back to the Ministry for a quick briefing. The Minister will need to be notified. I need to head to St. Mungo's and check on Neville and Tessa."

"Potter, you might want to remove that Dark Mark before you go anywhere," Draco suggested from his spot holding the wards.


	9. A Better Life

**Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter'...only my own characters...Enjoy...

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Neville and Tessa landed in the front lobby of St. Mungo's. The Welcoming witch was quick to summon help for the two. Neville's Healer stormed through the crowd and began berating the wizard. He wasn't listening to what she was saying. His focus was on Tessa who looked to be in labor.

"Will you shut up! My girlfriend is obviously in labor and needs to be attended to. After the birth of my child, you can yell at me as much as you want. I will sit there and take it but if she's not in a bed in 10 seconds, you will see some of the spells I used on Voldemort mere minutes ago first hand."

Tessa was quickly levitated and escorted to a room by the Healer. Neville followed behind brushing off another Healer who wanted to take a look at the gash on his arm. Once he saw her in bed and being checked out, he finally allowed the Healer to close the injury.

"Hey, how is she?" Harry said as he stopped beside the door.

"They're checking her out now. Harry, thank you for everything. I am so relieved to have her back."

"You did the hard part, Neville. Go be with your girlfriend. I'll gather everyone in the waiting room. Know we're here for you."

Neville entered the room and stood beside Tessa. She was bearing down from another contraction and the Healer was checking the progress. Once the contraction was over, Tessa gazed up at her knight.

"You saved me again, my knight."

"My Lady."

He leaned down and kissed her. He wasn't letting this woman go, not for anything in the world. He had lost her twice, found her twice, and would have died protecting her. She and their child was his new purpose for living.

"I love you, Tessa Capulet."

"I love you too, Neville Longbottom."

* * *

Tessa endured 13 hours of labor but thankfully the Healers had a potion that acted like an epidural so she didn't feel any pain. She could feel pressure from the pushing and the tightness of the contraction but no pain. Neville stood beside her and held her hand through it all. He encouraged her to push and to deliver their child. She was getting so tired towards the end of the labor that the Healer handed her another potion to combat the tiredness. It was instantaneous, she felt immediate wakefulness and determination to see this through the end.

Neville and Tessa were over the moon when they were handed their son. What little hair he had on his head was a light honey color and since he had yet to open his eyes, they couldn't tell if they were like Neville's or Tessa's. Tessa checked and he was perfect with 10 fingers and 10 toes.

"He's perfect, Tessa."

"He's here because of you, Neville. Even after that one night together, you searched for me and tried rescuing me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Thank you."

"No, thank you. You gave me something to live for. You gave me the most perfect son and hopefully more in the future."

She pulled him down for a kiss before telling him to get his friends. Everyone she had met and a few more were there except for one. Her eyes scanned the room again and knew she wasn't there but it wasn't the time to be asking about her. Ginny was right at the front of the group, proudly pregnant and teary eyed. Harry was at her side with the other Weasleys standing behind them. Hermione stood next to Ron, their fingers intertwined. One tall man stood near the back surprised the new mother at first but at second glance, it wasn't the blond git who kidnapped her.

"I'll introduce the new people soon but first I want you all to meet my son, William August Drake Longbottom."

Tessa watched as Neville carried their son around to meet his numerous aunts and uncles. He stopped to talk to the blond man in the back and they shook hands so Tessa knew if Neville trusted him then she could too.

A year ago Tessa had been alone, bored, and hated her life but now she had a wonderful boyfriend, a son, and many friends to get to know. Her life wasn't as shitty as it had been. A few twists and turns, not to mention a crazed decrepit old man in a dress and she finally had a life she was happy to have.

"Hey, Tessa. Did you know the story of Romeo and Juliet was true?"

"With a last name of Capulet, I hope so or else my ancestors had a funny way of showing their humor."

"I want you to reach for my wand. Hold it in your hand like you were holding the other wand earlier."

"Neville, she's a Muggle. She can't do magic," Hermione pointed out.

"Please indulge me."

Tessa reached for his wand. The brown wood was smooth under her fingers and the handle seemed to fit perfectly in her hand. A warm contentment filled her body. Tessa smiled and looked to Neville.

"Romeo and Juliet had a son who they died protecting. He was the first of many ancestors for you. What most don't know is that both Romeo and Juliet were magical. The magic in your blood recognizes the core in my wand. It is hair from the star crossed lovers. Their love is still talked about today and I want our love to be the same way. I want our great great grandchildren talking about how we didn't let anything stand in our way of being together."

"No one and no thing will take me away from you again, Neville. I will fight tooth and nail if something tries but always know, I will find my way back to you no matter what. That night in the club changed my life forever and I am thanking whatever God is out there that I meet my other half, my knight."

"I would do anything for you, my Lady."

Neville ushered everyone out so they could be alone. She moved over in her bed so he could sit beside her. Tessa held their son and knew we would be fine. Nothing would stand in their way to be together.


End file.
